Parkes, New South Wales

Town in New South Wales, Australia

Parkes
New South Wales

A statue of Sir Henry Parkes, the town's namesake

Parkes

Coordinates| 33°08′0″S 148°10′0″E﻿ / ﻿33.13333°S 148.16667°E﻿ / -33.13333; 148.16667
Population| 9,832 (2021)[1]
Established| 1873
Postcode(s)| 2870
Elevation| 324 m (1,063 ft)[2]
Location|

* 355 km (221 mi) W of Sydney
* 100 km (62 mi) W of Orange
* 33 km (21 mi) NNE of Forbes
* 102 km (63 mi) E of Condobolin
* 120 km (75 mi) SSW of Dubbo

LGA(s)| Parkes Shire
County| Ashburnham
State electorate(s)| Orange
Federal division(s)| Riverina
| Mean max temp | Mean min temp | Annual rainfall

|
|

23.4 °C
74 °F | 10.9 °C
52 °F | 587.5 mm
23.1 in
The 64-metre radio telescope of Parkes Observatory in Parkes, New South Wales is an important Southern Hemisphere radio telescope.

Parkes is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the main settlement in the local government area of Parkes Shire. Parkes had a population of 9,832 at the 2021 census.[1]

Parkes is part of the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people, the largest language group in NSW with a country of more than 120,000 square kilometres.

## History

[edit]

The Wiradjuri people have lived on the lands of the 3 rivers, including the Lachlan River, for more than 40,000 years.

The town of Parkes was part of the colonial expansion of the early 19th century, originally founded in 1853 as the settlement Currajong, named for the abundance of kurrajong trees in the local area by the settlers, but was then known as Bushman's (from the local mine named Bushman's Lead).[3]

In August 1873, Henry Parkes (later Sir Henry) visited the area and in December 1873 the town was officially renamed Parkes in his honour.[4][5][6] (Sir Henry Parkes is recognised as having played an instrumental role in the federation of Australia.)

Bushman's Lead Post Office opened on 1 August 1872 and was renamed Parkes in 1873.[7] In March 1883 the first local government, Parkes Municipal District (redesignated as Parkes Municipality March 1906), was proclaimed.[4] In January 1981 it was amalgamated with Goobang Shire to create Parkes Shire.

The railway from Molong via Parkes to Forbes, was officially opened on 18 December 1893.[8]

Parkes attracted significant attention during the gold rush of the 1870s onwards, and to this day modern mining companies have sites in the region.

In 1939, Parkes became a sister city with Coventry in the United Kingdom,[9] Sir Henry Parkes birthplace.

### Newspapers

[edit]

Parkes' first newspaper was the Forbes and Parkes Gazette, founded and conducted for many years by H. H. Cooke.[10] This was followed by the Parkes Independent. The Parkes Chronicle published by W. McNamara was amalgamated with the Parkes Independent which was subsequently purchased by Charles Reynolds; and later again, by George Washington Seaborn. In 1891 came the Parkes Examiner.[11] The Examiner was still operating by 1901, edited by Alderman Harry Bowditch who acquired it in 1893.[12] Commencing in 1894 was the Western Champion by M. J. Little and D. Cameron.[11] At a later time, Cameron also acquired the Independent. In 1899 the Champion was purchased by 1899. Later journalistic ventures included the Western Reminder and the Western People. The Examiner was renamed the Parkes Post in 1923, before becoming part of the Champion company in 1926. By 1934, these were merged to become the Champion Post.[11]

### Military history

[edit]

During World War II, Parkes was the location of RAAF Station Parkes, and RAAF No.18 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[13]

## Heritage listings

[edit]

Parkes has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

* 39 Currajong Street: Parkes Post Office[14]
* May Street: Parkes railway station[15]

## Parkes today

[edit]

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1921| 3,941| —
1933| 5,846| +48.3%
1947| 6,897| +18.0%
1954| 7,973| +15.6%
1961| 8,223| +3.1%
1966| 8,442| +2.7%
1971| 8,849| +4.8%
1976| 8,905| +0.6%
1981| 9,047| +1.6%
1986| 8,739| −3.4%
1991| 8,784| +0.5%
1996| 10,094| +14.9%
2001| 9,785| −3.1%
2006| 9,826| +0.4%
2011| 10,026| +2.0%
2016| 9,964| −0.6%
2021| 9,832| −1.3%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[16][17]

With the presence of the nearby Parkes Observatory, Parkes has had an important role in the scientific community. In addition to local research conducted at the radio telescope, Parkes scientists have assisted NASA for several missions as a Southern Hemisphere relay and communications station. The movie The Dish was based somewhat loosely on the role the telescope played during the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. The Dish, although set in Parkes, was largely filmed in Forbes' historic precinct. This is due to very few historic buildings remaining in Parkes. Parkes is also home to the Parkes Spacemen rugby league club.

Agriculture is one of the primary industries in the Parkes region, particularly cropping, sheep farming and cattle farming.[citation needed]

The area also features a copper and gold mine, Northparkes Mine, 27 km north-north-west of the town.

Parkes became a key country location after the completion of the railway to Broken Hill in 1927, serving as a hub for a great deal of passenger and freight transport until the 1980s. Unfortunately, as successive governments reduced the NSW country rail systems, this part of the economy was largely lost to the community.

Periodically governments and businesses have raised the topic of an "inland port" whereby Parkes Regional Airport would be expanded considerably to serve as a starting point for domestic and international freight destined for areas in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Environmental studies are complete, development consents are in place, contracts have been exchanged, some properties have changed hands and studies are continuing.

Parkes Shire Council, with approval from the State Government, has rezoned 516 hectares of agricultural and industrial land on the western edge of the town for the development of the Parkes National Logistics Hub[18] with an additional reserve of over 100 hectares. The site has been specifically designed for the 24-hour, 7-day-per-week operation of a multi-modal transport facility.

FCL runs a significant intermodal operation at Goobang Junction on Parkes' western outskirts. On 20 October 2006, Premier Morris Iemma opened Specialised Container Transport's intermodal terminal nearby on a 296-hectare (730-acre) site. It has 5 km of rail sidings, a 7,400-square-metre (80,000 sq ft) warehouse and about 40 staff.[19] An even larger terminal to be sited nearby is also being promoted.

The Roads & Maritime Services' Western Regional Office is located in Parkes. Essential Energy also is represented by a training and maintenance centre.

Main tourist attractions are the CSIRO Telescope 20 km north of town on the Newell Highway, Bushmans Hill, and the War Memorial Lookout. Nearby there is the Goobang National Park, and Peak Hill which features an Open Cut Mine that can be toured during holidays. There are also many great parks.

Parkes has a high percentage population of school age students and an associated number of schools.[citation needed] Parkes Public School was founded in 1876 under Archibald Booth as educator, Parkes East Public School and Middleton Public School are also in the area. Holy Family Catholic School and Parkes Christian School operate in the town, with Saint Patrick's School Trundle and St Joseph's School, Peak Hill also operating the shire.

Parkes High School is the main public high school for the town. Parkes Christian School offers education for students from Kindergarten to Year 10 in 2013, extending to Year 11 in 2014 and Year 12 in 2015. Many Parkes students also attend the nearby Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes, some 35 km south.

## Climate

[edit]

Parkes has a subtropical climate, with significant temperature variations between summer and winter. Under the Köppen climate classification, Parkes lies in the transitional zone between humid subtropical (Cfa) and cold semi-arid (Bsk) climates.[20] Summer maximum temperatures average out at 32 °C (90 °F), however frequently reach 40 °C (104 °F) each year. Winters are cool and partly cloudy, with cold fronts bringing periods of light, misty rain with low maximum temperatures, and rarely even snow.[21] Rainfall in spring and summer usually falls as thunderstorms, with an annual average of 587.5 mm (23.13 in) of rainfall. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −4.2 to 45.5 °C (24.4 to 113.9 °F). Parkes is considerably sunny, having around 135.0 clear days annually.[2]

Climate data for Parkes (Macarthur Street, 1907–2012, rainfall to 1889); 324 m AMSL; 33.14° S, 148.16° E

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 45.2
(113.4)  | 45.5
(113.9)  | 40.0
(104.0)  | 35.4
(95.7)  | 27.8
(82.0)  | 26.7
(80.1)  | 23.3
(73.9)  | 27.8
(82.0)  | 34.0
(93.2)  | 37.7
(99.9)  | 44.0
(111.2)  | 42.5
(108.5)  | 45.5
(113.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 32.3
(90.1)  | 31.5
(88.7)  | 28.5
(83.3)  | 23.6
(74.5)  | 18.6
(65.5)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 14.0
(57.2)  | 15.9
(60.6)  | 19.5
(67.1)  | 23.6
(74.5)  | 27.7
(81.9)  | 30.6
(87.1)  | 23.4
(74.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 17.9
(64.2)  | 17.8
(64.0)  | 15.0
(59.0)  | 10.9
(51.6)  | 7.5
(45.5)  | 5.1
(41.2)  | 4.0
(39.2)  | 4.9
(40.8)  | 7.3
(45.1)  | 10.4
(50.7)  | 13.5
(56.3)  | 16.2
(61.2)  | 10.9
(51.6)
Record low °C (°F)  | 6.8
(44.2)  | 6.0
(42.8)  | 4.5
(40.1)  | 0.5
(32.9)  | −1.5
(29.3)  | −4.0
(24.8)  | −4.2
(24.4)  | −3.6
(25.5)  | −2.0
(28.4)  | 1.0
(33.8)  | −0.1
(31.8)  | 6.2
(43.2)  | −4.2
(24.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 57.6
(2.27)  | 49.1
(1.93)  | 47.4
(1.87)  | 41.4
(1.63)  | 47.2
(1.86)  | 49.5
(1.95)  | 49.1
(1.93)  | 49.2
(1.94)  | 41.8
(1.65)  | 52.4
(2.06)  | 49.5
(1.95)  | 53.0
(2.09)  | 587.5
(23.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.8  | 5.4  | 5.4  | 5.3  | 7.2  | 9.3  | 10.2  | 9.3  | 7.7  | 7.7  | 6.4  | 6.2  | 85.9
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)  | 34  | 37  | 39  | 43  | 53  | 60  | 60  | 54  | 48  | 42  | 36  | 32  | 45
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[2]

## Transport

[edit]

Parkes has a local bus service provided by Western Road Liners, which acquired Harris Bus Lines in March 2006. The weekly Indian Pacific passes through but does not stop at Parkes. The Outback Xplorer service, run by NSW TrainLink, which heads to Broken Hill on Mondays and Sydney on Tuesdays does stop.[22] Parkes railway station is situated on the Broken Hill railway line, and opened in 1893. A smaller station served Parkes Racecourse between 1923 and 1937.[23] Parkes Airport is served regular air services to Sydney operated by Rex Airlines. The airport is located approximately five kilometres east of the central business district.

Parkes is located on the Australian transcontinental railway line, and the Newell Highway linking Victoria to Queensland.

## Media

[edit]

Radio

* 2PK AM 1404 (talkback radio format aimed at listeners 35 years+ most programs relayed from 2SM, Sydney): owned by Broadcast Operations Group.[24]
* PH FM 88.0 (community access radio station based in Peak Hill, 50 km north from Parkes).[25]
* ROK FM 95.5 (mixed music format aimed at 18–39 years market – Top 40 and Classic Hits): owned by Broadcast Operations Group.[26]
* 2LVR FM 97.9 (community radio)
* Sky Sports Radio FM 99.9 – (Coverage of Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound Racing plus other general and specialist sport and talk programming)[27]
* SBS Radio FM 101.3 (mixed format programming for ethnic communities)

.Vision radio 87.6 fm. Christian Radio

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) transmit four stations into Parkes and the surrounding region:

* ABC Classic FM NSW 2ABCFM 102.7 FM
* ABC Radio National NSW 2ABCRN 104.3 FM
* Triple J NSW 2JJJ 101.9 FM
* ABC Central West NSW 2CR 549 AM – part of the ABC Local Radio network.

Some stations from Dubbo and Orange also transmit into Parkes and the surrounding region.

Television

Parkes receives the following free-to-air television stations:

* Seven, 7two, 7mate, 7flix, 7Bravo – Seven Network owned channels.
* Southern Cross 10, 10 Bold Drama, 10 Peach Comedy, Nickelodeon, Sky News Regional – Network Ten affiliated channels.
* WIN Television, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life – Nine Network affiliated channels.
* Special Broadcasting Service, SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, SBS WorldWatch, SBS World Movies, NITV
* ABC Television, ABC, ABC Family, ABC Kids, ABC Entertains, ABC News.

Newspapers

There are two local newspapers servicing Parkes.

* The Parkes Champion-Post is published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is owned by Australian Community Media.[28]
* The Parkes Phoenix is a free weekly paper that is published on Fridays. It is part of the independently owned Phoenix Group of papers.[29]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Billy Burns, rugby league player
* Dianna Corcoran, country music singer [30]
* Stephen Davies, field hockey player, 1996 Olympian [31]
* Tommy Emmanuel, guitarist – completed his school education in Parkes
* Ian Evans, historian and writer [32]
* David Field, actor
* Trixie Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes – the first Australian woman to have been elevated to the peerage (1981)
* Bryson Goodwin, Australian rugby league footballer [33]
* Mike Leary, rugby league player[34]
* Ben Lovett, rugby league player[35]
* Greg McGirr, NSW Labor politician and father of Trixie Gardner
* Jim McGirr, NSW Labor politician, 28th Premier of New South Wales
* Patrick McGirr, NSW Labor politician
* Darby Medlyn, Australian rugby league footballer [36]
* Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant (1864–1902), Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, bush poet, military officer and convicted war criminal[37]
* David Nash, linguist [38]
* Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963), Scottish-Australian horseman and bush poet and balladist [37]
* James Pritchard, International Rugby player, Rugby World Cup Representative [39]
* Gordon Watson, pianist [40]
* Scott Westcott, marathon runner, 2016 Olympian [41]
* Mariah Williams, field hockey player, 2016 & 2020 Olympian [42]

## Festivals

[edit]

Parkes hosts the annual Parkes Elvis Festival.[43] It is held in early January to celebrate Elvis Presley's birthday and to boost tourism.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Parkes Billabong Creek

* Parkes Bushmans Dam

* Parkes Bushmans Hill

* Elvis Memorial

* War Memorial

* Court House

* Henry Parkes Statue

* Heraghty Park

* Mazoudier Park

* Parkes TAFE College

## See also

[edit]

* ABBA Festival, Trundle

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
2. ^ a b c "Parkes (Macarthur Street)". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
3. ^ "Early History of Parkes". Parkes Shire Library. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
4. ^ a b "Bushmans and Parkes History". Parkes Early History. Parkes Shire Library. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
5. ^ "Parkes Shire Council – History – Parkes". Parkes Shire Council. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
6. ^ Martin, A. W. Parkes, Sir Henry (1815–1896). Australian National University. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
7. ^ Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
8. ^ "(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 19 December 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
9. ^ "Sister City". Parkes Shire Council. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
10. ^ "In the old days". Western Champion. New South Wales, Australia. 11 April 1918. p. 11. Retrieved 17 February 2020 - via Trove.
11. ^ a b c "The inky way". The Forbes Advocate. New South Wales, Australia. 11 July 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 17 February 2020 - via Trove.
12. ^ "Delegates' expenses". Western Champion. New South Wales, Australia. 6 September 1901. p. 11. Retrieved 17 February 2020 - via Trove.
13. ^ Australia. Royal Australian Air Force. Historical Section (1995), Logistics units, AGPS Press, ISBN 978-0-644-42798-2
14. ^ "Parkes Post Office". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00717. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
15. ^ "Parkes Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01220. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
16. ^ "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
17. ^ "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
18. ^ "Parkes National Logistics Hub". Parkes Shire Council. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
19. ^ "SCT opens Parkes terminal". Railway Digest. 44 (12). Australian Railway Historical Society. December 2006.
20. ^ "Semi-arid woodlands (shrubby sub-formation) | NSW Environment, Energy and Science". www.environment.nsw.gov.au.
21. ^ "Snow in Parkes Shire". 16 June 2017.
22. ^ "Western timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
23. ^ "Parkes Racecourse Railway Station". nswrail.net. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
24. ^ "2PK Parkes and Central West Radio". 2pk.com.au.
25. ^ "Personal Home Financing Methods | The PHFM Network – Helping Australians". Phfm.net.au. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
26. ^ "Welcome to leccowra.com.au". Rokfm.com.au. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
27. ^ "Sky Racing – Number one in racing". 2ky.com.au. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
28. ^ "Parkes News, sport and weather". Parkes Champion-Post. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
29. ^ "Free newspaper group bucks regional media trend". ABC News. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
30. ^ Watt, Barbara (20 April 2018). "Dianna home for 'reset'". Parkes Champion-Post.
31. ^ "Stephen Davies Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
32. ^ "Ian Evans - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". mobile.abc.net.au.
33. ^ [1][usurped]
34. ^ "Mike Leary - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
35. ^ "Parkes Spacemen junior Benjamin Lovett makes debut for South Sydney Rabbitohs in trial". Parkes Champion Post. 24 February 2022.
36. ^ "Darby Medlyn - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
37. ^ a b "Bogan Gate: Australian history merges in unique moment!". History Parkes. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
38. ^ Nash, David (1 January 1995). "David Nash". www.anu.edu.au.
39. ^ "Rugby World Cup: James Pritchard back on the team". CBC. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
40. ^ "Gordon Watson AM, b. 1921". National Portrait Gallery people.
41. ^ "Scott WESTCOTT - Olympic | Australia". International Olympic Committee. 6 February 2021.
42. ^ "Mariah Williams". Australian Olympic Committee.
43. ^ "Countrylink Parkes Elvis Festival". countrylink.info. Retrieved 9 January 2009.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parkes, New South Wales.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Parkes.

* Parkes – VisitNSW

* v
* t
* e

Towns in the Parkes Shire local government area

* Alectown
* Bogan Gate
* Cookamidgera
* Parkes
* Peak Hill
* Trundle
* Tullamore

Main Article: Local government areas of New South Wales

Authority control databases

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* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
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Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

The annual Elvis festival is discussed in detail in relation to the performances involved and its impact on the town and its vicinity in John Connell and Chris Gibson, Outback Elvis. The story of a festival, its fans and a town called Parkes (New South, Sydney, 2017).
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